Casual restaurants can
be terrific. They are
often a much better
experience than the
overpriced and highly awarded restaurants that pretentiously claim an entree of two large lettuce leaves garnished with a poached egg as a gourmet "meal."
The success of these inexpensive eateries over their pricey neighbors largely lies in the simple fact that they focus on the food instead of spending valuable resources on an upscale decor and a snobbish wait staff.
Unfortunately, Amicci's does not fully understand this formula. They've perfected the modest atmosphere and the laidback attitude of the servers, but they are missing the key ingredient: appetizing, irresistible food.
With a Saturday reservation, I was promptly seated by an enthusiastic hostess at a faux-wood table in one of Amicci's several small dining rooms.
No tablecloths or ambiance lighting here, just a few too many banquet-sized tables filled with large family parties with children of all ages.
The room was loud with family clatter, making dinner conversation relatively difficult.
The noisy setting was enhanced by the raucous, but very friendly, waitresses.
Amicci's unoriginal and homogenous menu was the largest disappointment of my dining experience. Dishes are covered in either a white wine-marinara, regular marinara or alfredo sauce. Where are the wider choices of pesto, gorgonzola and vodka cream sauces that many other Italian restaurants offer?
Beyond the few standard Italian dishes on the menu, such as chicken parmigiana and lasagna, the range of the other pastas offered is so limited that it becomes pointless to read through the entire menu because so many of the dishes only differ by one ingredient. If you are a huge fan of shrimp, the menu may have greater appeal to you -- half of Amicci's pasta dishes contain shellfish. And the generous portions of the penne primavera was a nice touch.
But in the end, the most important aspect of a dining experience -- the gratification of the meal -- requires a low rating for this eatery.
The entree contained half-cooked vegetables, with a runny white wine-marinara sauce. The meal would have been more accurately called a vegetable stew than a healthy penne dish.
Other diners had the same "runny" sauce complaint with their pasta dinners. If you're making the effort to leave campus and go downtown for a good Italian meal, you're not spending wisely at Amicci's.
It might be the "bargain" restaurant in Little Italy, but for the effort and cost it takes to get off campus, I'd rather spend the extra $5 for a higher-quality meal and a more enjoyable experience at one of the many Little Italy gems that surround this less expensive dud.
Amicci's Restaurant
Little Italy, 231 S. High St.,
(410) 528-1096
http://www.amiccis.com
Open: Sunday - Thursday 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Food: Traditional Italian
Specialties: House Salad, Calamari<
